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L..F. nopGLAss. CINEMATOGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.5\1916.

Patented Augl 19, 1919. v

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WITNESSES:

Amnrunrs D sirnfrnsv PATENT. onirica.

- noir ir. nouemss, or sur man.:

1,313,537, spammen of Letters hun. Patented Aug. 19, 1919.

appunti mea mm'ber s, isis. serai in. 135,157.

To allwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, LnoN F. Douomss, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Rafael in the county of Marin and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cinematography, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cinematography; andh'as for its object to produce color and stereoscopic effects in motion pictures in an img-wed and simplified manner.

carrying out this object, I expose two i or Imore ne ative films, each through its own lens, provided with an individual color screen, the one screen being complementary to the other and adapted to record complementary color-'effects upon the o posite lin;

A also to operate and expose sai `films alternately so that each film has `alternate pictures and intermediate blank spaces thereon, the blank spaces onA one film matching the exposed portions of the other, and thereafter print the positive film from the two negatives in black and white; the blank spaces on one negative matching the exposed portions of the other negative, so that the pictures or images from the two negatives appear in succession on thepositive, adjacent.

- images having different color values and positive different erspectives, and then project said with the aid of a shutter having opposite windows, in complementary colors, thus gin ing the natural color effect upon'the screen.

By taking two or more negatives with a camera havin two spaced lenses each film through va di erently positioned lens, a binocular or stereoscopic effect is given to the picture; also one film may be exposed while the other is being advanced, thereb permitting the pictures to be taken wit greater rapidity, and allowing more time kfor exposure.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fi re 1 shows a portion of a camera suita le for carrying out my invention.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the same,

Figs. 3 and 4 each s ow a portion ofv a negative film formed with alternate images an intermediate blank spaces, the 'images on said films' recordingcomplementary color effects of substantially the same scene.

Fig' shows a portion of a positive film printed from both of 'said negatives, with through a single projectorv the .ima on the latter appearing in succession ereon.

Fig. 6 shows a plan view of the shutter used in projecting the positive film.

In the drawings, I show a portion of a camera `10, equipped with two suitably spaced lenses 11, each adapted to pr'ect an image on its own respective'negative m 12; the films being operated by appropriate feeding mechanism, not shown. A rota shutter 13 is arranged behind both lenses, with a cut-away or light portion 14.- adapted to .uncover the films alternately. Complementary color screens 15-15, which, for example, may beA described as being red and green respectively are arranged over the apertures 16 in ront of the films. The mechanism of the camera is such that` as the film behind one screen is stationary and being exposed, the other one is being advanced, the li ht being cut o therefrom by the shutter. ne lm will be moved the distance of two picture spaces while the other one is being exposed, and thereafter the exposed negative will have alternate ima 17 and intermediate blank spaces 18. Ttig there will be an appreciable period of ex' posure of one filmI when the other film is not being exposed.

One exposed negative, as shown in Fig. 3, will have itsiniages recording the red ef fects rin the picture and the other exposed negative, as shown in Fig. 4, will have its images recording the green effects in the icture. A single positive film 19, as shown in Fig. 5, is printed Ifrom both negatives in such a way thatA the images on said negatives a pear .in succession upon the positive film.

is is accomplished by fitting the negative flmsvone` over the other, with the images of one registering with the blank spaces of the other.

The positive film is projected in the usual way through a 'single objective, but the shutter 20' of the projecting machine will be equipped with opposite windows 21 in complementary colors, one green and the other red for the ei'rai'iiple above given. The movement ofthe shutter` 20 is-,sog that when the portion vofthe film representing the red exposure is toftheaperture in the projecting machine,'the red window of the shutter will be in frontthereof, and when the image on the film representing the green exposure is presented, the 4projection be through the green windowof the shutter. That is, all the pictures takenfthrough a red screen arey exposed through a red screen, and

A slightly diferent positions, with the camera,

owing to the spaced lenses 1-1, will blend upon the screen in a manner to give a stereoscopic' eiect after the principle of binocular vision'.

vvWhere sixteen pictures per second are taken in the ordinary way the period of L6 of a -second is divided into two parts, one for exposure and one'for advancing the film so :that each exposure is really only 312 of a sec- Iond in duration. During'the latter step no exposure of the lm can occur. However, in the present case there is no appreciable period of time during which one or the other 'films'is not exposed, -for the reasons-that the fadvan'cing of one lmtakes place while the other film is being exposed. I, therefore,

*obtain a more rapid operation with a prol increased four times over llonged exposure and the benefit of more light in photographing; the exposure being the ordinary methods in `vogue.

The positive film printed from two negatives in themanner above indicated may be .projected i-n black and white with the ordishutter,l and by so doing the natural -colors will not be shown but a stereoscopic effect will be produced.

Various changes relating to the steps .and apparatusemployed may be made without departing from the spirit or principle of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what y I ,claim and desire to secure by Letterslat- 1. In cinematography, the method of. prof ducing a `positive film for moving -picture --machines which-consists in making two or more negatives having substantially the reame series fof images, vone through a redlprinting thesel negatives on la single positive soi'that the latter has consecutive images as in a-regular moving picture film, except "that :adjacent images 'ar'ederived from difl'lerent negatives 4and have diie'rent color -Ivalues 2. in ioinematograpuy, lthe exposing of combined -negatives, am

two or more negative films to substantially the same scene, each through its own lens and in a manner to record complementary color eli'ects on opposite films, feeding said films in. such a manner that blank spaees f' ot er,so that the positive film will have consecutivepictures as instandard practice, and projecting said positive film with appropriate color effects.

3. In cinematography, the vexposing of two or more negative films to substantially thesame scene, each through its own lens, equipped with a distinctive color screen, opposite screens being of complementary. colors, feeding said'ilms in such a way that blank spaces occur between'the images, one of said films being advanced while theother is being exposed so 'as topermitfof alengthened period of exposure, printing both ne tive films upon a single positive film wit the images of one registering with the blank spaces o' the other so that the positive film will have consecutive pictures of different color values, and projecting Said positive film with the aid of a' rotary shutter equipped with opposite windows of complementary colors for transmitting the 4appropriate color to the projected pictures, whereby alternate pictures appear u on the screen in different colors and blenld to produce natural color effects.

4. In a motionpieture camera, a pair of laterally spaced lenses each equipped with an individual color screen, said screen being of complementary 'colors, a ilm Aand film feeding mechanism orfeach, anda rotary shutter -for both lenses operable to alternately expose said lms, vsaid feeding mechanism being operable yto advance :the

-covered film two spaces while-the uncovered l`film is being exposed.

5. The art-of producing moving pictures in color, which includes the followmg steps: first, the lexposure of two negatives in a Singlecamera through a pmt of binocular lenses, the exposures on'one negative alternating with the exposure on the other negative, the-exposed portions ofone negative being spaced l'apart and the intervening spaces on .that negati-ve matching the exposed fportion's of the other negativeythe exposures on one negative being made through kagreen screen and theexposures on the other negative being made through a red screen, second1y,1bringing the two negative vfilms to- 'ether so that the-exposed portions of one iilm overlie-.the blank :spaces on the other film, third, printing -a dpositive' from the nally 'eat-posing lil-il the positive by a single lens projecting ma;- fchine employing a Shutter having a red window and -a green window and operating the shutter cordinately with the positive film so that the red window of the shutter will successively mask those portions of the positive film corresponding to the image taken through the red screen and the green window in the shutter will successively mask the portions taken through the green screen.

6. The method of producing a positive film for colored moving pictures, which' comprises makin two or more negatives havin slightly ierent series of images with lank spaces between the images, the images on one negative having a color y In testimony whereof I have value complementary to the images on the other and the images on one negative out of registry with the images on the other, matching the blank spaces of one negative with the images on the other, and then printing a positive from the two combined negatives so that the images on the positive will follow consecutively. f

hereunto set my hand in-the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEON F. DOUGLASS.

Witnesses:

Trios. P. BOYD, EVA A.A LYON. 

